Thinking of starting a business or already running one?
Check out these upcoming low to no cost professional development events in Ottawa – most require registration but it’s simple and quick to do from your phone or desktop!
We believe parenthood and professional development don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
People have families and they want to invest in themselves. It shouldn’t be an either/or situation and we are creating a community that welcomes primary caregivers AND their children to talk about business in a safe and welcoming space (coffee and croissants included!)
We’re talking about protecting your ideas, Intellectual Property, mixing business and parenthood at our next event on Friday, February 14th.
Join us for the Babies, Business + Breakfast February 2020 Pop-Up Event at Bayview Yards between 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Tickets are almost SOLD OUT!
We believe everyone should be able to invest in themselves alongside the ones they love and thanks to Feminist Twins, we are now offering 5 FREE tickets for parents who wouldn’t be able to attend otherwise.
This isn’t means tested, it’s an honour system. First come, first served. Simply register for your ticket and apply the special promo code at checkout to access the discount: BBB2020FT
Have a lovely weekend and I hope to see you at some of these upcoming professional development events around the city
Amy Lynch (+ Family)
Founder of Babies, Business + Breakfast
P.S. Know a parent who may be interested in joining the community? Please feel free to share the link to this blog post or our newsletter!
• Template – Remote Work (With Kids) Time Blocking Made Easy [LEARN MORE] • Guide – Babies + Business Mini Guide To Navigating The Corporate Jungle (With Kids) [LEARN MORE]
You can also follow my parenthood + professional development adventures on Instagram and via my previous blog posts.
February 1st was Saint Brigid’s Day or Imbolc, the Gaelic festival marking the beginning of spring.
It’s also a halfway marker between the winter solstice and spring equinox. It’s traditionally a time to feast, receive blessings and clear out the old to welcome the new.
We have a Brigid’s Cross/Brigit’s Cross/Crois Bhride woven from rushes made by my husband’s relatives in Galway, which we have brought with us over the years from our homes in Naas, Ireland to London, England and now Ottawa, Canada. It’s also meant to ward off evil spirits.
My great-grandmother’s name was Bridget and I was meant to be named after her…but I guess the name didn’t quite stick with me as a baby!
However, I find it interesting (and serendipitous) I ended up marrying an Irishman and living for a year-and-a-half in Naas, Co. Kildare, which is the original home of Saint Brigid…they even have the woven cross as part of their County crest.
While it’s the beginning of spring in Ireland, it’s still mid-winter here in Canada.
If you’re not into seasonal living, celebrating occasions or the idea of serendipity that’s cool…but I think you should keep reading as I talk about other topics below.
I’ve been thinking a lot about honouring my ancestors lately and in particular, how I can honour my grandmothers (and great-grandmothers).
I’ve been thinking about these women because of the opportunities surrounding us, which they didn’t have access to at my age.
The opportunity to vote.
To work. Alongside their children if they decide to. Or outside of the home while others care for their children.
To voice their opinions (safely).
To speak freely.
To create because they can. To create because they want to.
To make money from those creative abilities, if they so please.
I know I am fortunate and not every woman has access to the same opportunities.
I recently attended two events in January which further cemented my desires to continue honouring my ancestors and living in ways they could not during their lives.
One was a talk given by Carlo Lombard, a newcomer to Canada–now a Canadian Citizen–about public speaking and using your voice effectively to tell your story.
Many people in the audience were also newcomers to Canada–as my husband and son were a few years ago when we relocated from Europe–and were there to learn how to communicate more clearly in order to articulate the vision they have for their business ideas. Many did not speak English as their first language and were also using the session to practice public speaking.
I felt my privilege as a Canadian Citizen by birth and English as a first language speaker, as I sat in that workshop. The presenter had just received his Canadian Citizenship three months ago, after having lived here for the past decade.
My husband does not have the ability to vote here (yet) and he must travel to and from the country with his Permanent Residency card at all times. However, for the most part we have felt the transition into life here has been straightforward as he also speaks English as a first language and had previously lived, worked and travelled in Canada before me met.
But little things do remind us we’re a bit different: Having to provide details of when we arrived in Canada in order to register our son for school. Owning different types of birth certificates and medical records for our children. Maintaining multiple passports. Keeping up on news in different countries where we still have ties.
I am fortunate to have been able to move back to Canada and bring my family with me (for a fee and after completing the required immigration applications and screening requirements). Not because we had to or were forced to but because we decided to.
When we arrived, we were greeted matter-of-factly by the customs officers as we detailed our family plans (including a new baby!) and our belongings accompanying us but we did not feel like we weren’t welcome. We were nervous. Apprehensive. Hopeful we had remembered to complete everything properly.
It is easy to forget how it felt to wait for our immigration application to be assessed and approved over a period of months while we were living overseas. The alternate scenarios we had discussed in the event the application were to be rejected.
The uncertainty of waiting on someone else’s decision to dictate your next steps followed by the feelings of freedom and possibility as you start to build your life in a new place.
Last week, I attended the latestCreativeMornings Ottawa talk on the theme of ‘Roots’ where the speaker, Ian Campeau (also known as DJ NDN and Migizi Bebaayaad), explored the history of his people and their connection to the land, in particular the meaning of their language and the stories behind their words. He is Anishinaabe from the Nipissing First Nation.It was a powerful and moving talk, full of raw emotion and challenges for the audience to unpack.How can we honour the history of a place?
Give back what was taken?
Go back to the old ways?It stirred something in me, as he spoke of reclaiming his language, which he was never taught by his mother, as his grandparents didn’t teach her for fear of the physical punishment she would receive at school if caught speaking it.But he wants his language back.
So he’s driving 8+ hours to study the language in a church basement near where he grew up, as there isn’t access to his language and culture in Canadian urban centres.
Once his talk is posted on CreativeMornings Ottawa’s site, I implore you to watch it.
Both speakers touched on the fact, once you are ‘successful’ or ‘making an impact’, you can draw attention to other community groups and issues you would like to shed light on. You don’t have to be wealthy or famous in order to begin the process of understanding why things are the way they are, telling your stories and taking steps towards positive changes.
There are parallels between their community-building efforts, personal experiences and the work they are creating…because they can.
I spoke with both of them after their talks about the work I am doing to advocate for parent-friendly professional development and how it has evolved over time.
These experiences shed light on my thoughts and recent activities around:
Honouring my ancestors by living my life to the fullest
Practicing gratitude for my privilege
Using my privilege to create safe spaces in the community
The power of sharing my story (and of you, sharing yours)
Vulnerability as the ultimate connector and change-maker
The act of creating…because we can.
Over to you:
I would like to know:
What are you creating?
Have you been resisting creating anything lately? If so, why?
How can you honour your ancestors in your present life?
Send your comments to me below or via email: contact[at]amymaureenlynch.com.
Some things I am creating…because I can.
Handbuilding pottery pieces. I’ve taken a workshop and a couple of classes at Hintonburg Pottery, a local shop and studio, and am slowly building up my own personal collection of handbuilt pieces. It’s therapeutic, relaxing, inspiring and fun!
Parent-friendly professional development spaces and experiences.Babies, Business + Breakfast encourages primary caregivers to invest in themselves alongside their loved ones in a safe and inclusive space, with a focus on providing access to business and industry resources and connections.
Using my experiences, storytelling and intuition to help others with self-reflection more regularly.Call it self-care, personal development, life or business planning…I call it getting back in touch with yourself and listening to the inner voice we so often question or silence completely. Disclaimer:The information provided in readings is for general entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional medical, legal or financial advice. You are advised to consult with an independent or professional advisor for advice on your specific circumstances.For more information about our services and policies, please view our detailed Ts&Cs and policies here.
Looking for more posts about using your intuition?
Read these previous posts about how I listen to my inner voice in everyday life:
Let’s talk about things going wrong. What do you do?
January was on trend with 2019 for me: full of more ups and downs!
The youngest is learning more words, the oldest is learning–geography, history, math, spelling, broadway musicals–little minds are sponges! 😳
My parent-friendly professional development event series ‘Babies, Business + Breakfast’ is launching at Bayview Yards in February and interest in this community keeps growing.
I’ve been working on my service offerings and an online course (very slowly) because I’ve also been to the GP FIVE times in one month and the pharmacy even more between family flu shots, 18-month jabs and various viruses, the most recent which knocked me sideways.
Why am I telling you all this?
Because last month involved more rest, laundry, tea, reading, cuddles, medicine and less marketing, hustling, stressing, driving, doing, striving than most of my adult life and you know what happened?
People kept visiting, reading, subscribing and registering.
Despite me being offline and completely ‘out of office’ for most of the past few weeks and largely the past month.
Yes, I have some systems set up to help, I’ve spent time building an audience and worked intentionally on things to move it forward but nothing expensive, major or ground breaking.
Life is always changing and throwing curveballs, health comes first and I’m all about living with the seasons because winter is not my friend. My productivity and immune system literally go, ‘nope, going back to bed thanks‘.
Except when you’re a primary caregiver, you can’t really go back to bed.
But you CAN ask for help, do less, lower your expectations, look after yourself, rest when you can and gear wayyyy down.*
Because guess what? Things might actually pick up as soon as you decide to sloooooow down.
Something worth coming out of hibernation mode for?
Join us for Babies, Business + Breakfast on Friday, February 14th 2020 between 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Tickets are going fast!
We believe everyone should be able to invest in themselves alongside the ones they love and thanks to Feminist Twins, we are now offering 5 FREE tickets for parents who normally wouldn’t be able to attend otherwise.
This isn’t means tested, it’s an honour system. First come, first served.
Simply register for your ticket and apply the special promo code at checkout to access the discount: BBB2020FT
From my family to yours, stay healthy and have a lovely Winter(lude) over the coming weeks!
Amy Lynch (+ Family) Founder of Babies, Business + Breakfast
*I’m not a doctor but I did own a lab kit as a kid. 🔍
P.S. Know a parent who may be interested in joining the community? Please feel free to share this post with them and encourage them to subscribe by clicking on the image below.
Babies, Business + Breakfast, has recently been selected as one of the ‘Bayview Meetups’ for 2020 at Bayview Yards (the home of Invest Ottawa). Bayview Yards is a one-stop business acceleration shop, and equips promising entrepreneurs and technology firms with the technical, business and market capabilities they require to take on the world.
Babies, Business + Breakfast
Join us on Friday, February 14th 2020 from 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. to talk about protecting your ideas (and investing in yourself).
Parenthood and professional development don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
Fuel up on fresh business inspiration, strong coffee and connect with other like-minded parents at Babies, Business + Breakfast. Invest in yourself alongside your loved ones at these parent-friendly professional development events, complete with a children’s play area!
Whether you are setting out to build a startup, launch a small business, remote work, freelance or seeking a career change, learn from guest speakers who have built and/or worked in successful companies – all while raising their families.
TALK + GUEST SPEAKERS: Protecting Your Ideas featuring Natalie Raffoul, Managing Attorney at Brion Raffoul and Julia Elvidge, Tech Business Leader, Advisor, Mentor, Investor and Board Member.
LOCATION:Bayview Yards 7 Bayview Station Rd Level 2, L204 Training Room Ottawa, ON K1Y 2C5
RSVP:Tickets are $10 each includes one parent and their child(ren)
AGENDA: 10:00 a.m. – Doors Open and Registration: Grab a coffee, some food and explore the play area! 10:45 a.m. – Guest Speakers + Interactive Discussion about Protecting Your Ideas 11:15 a.m. – Q&A: In between feeding your kid(s) or while building towers, all questions welcome 11:45 a.m. – Open Networking: Grab some more coffee, food, mix and mingle with other parents and their kids 12:30 p.m. – Event Close
RSVP to reserve your space and we’ll be in touch early the week of the event to confirm detailed parking, public transit and room location instructions for the venue.
DRESS CODE: ‘BABY CASUAL’: Come as you are, no business attire required. Shoes (yes please), if you’re a kid you may be able to get away with socks!
We’ll provide the:
• conversation + community • coffee + continental breakfast spread • children’s play area + change tables
Please bring your:
• parenting supplies (diapers, wipes, snacks, stroller, baby carrier) • questions + best small talk / baby babble skills
ABOUT BABIES, BUSINESS + BREAKFAST We believe parenthood and professional development don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Fuel up on fresh business inspiration, strong coffee and get connected to other like-minded parents.
We are focused on growing our community, hosting parent-friendly professional development events and publishing a regular newsletter, alongside advising organizations and event planners on how to make their spaces more inclusive.
Can’t make it but still want to stay in the loop!?! We get it, life happens.
Connect with us for more parent-friendly business events, experiences, inspiration and resources here. Subscribe to the FREE newsletter: http://bit.ly/BabiesBizBreakfast
• Template – Remote Work (With Kids) Time Blocking Made Easy [LEARN MORE] • Guide – Babies + Business Mini Guide To Navigating The Corporate Jungle (With Kids) [LEARN MORE]
You can also follow my parenthood + professional development adventures on Instagram and via my previous blog posts.
Only to have this woman sit down shortly afterward, directly in front of me! She moved before the talk started but during Q&A she spoke and we discovered she actually IS Australian.
So many signs, even when I try to be nonchalant it’s like, “Bam! Yooooohooo. Look over here.” 👉🐨
We have many friends and previous coworkers that were like family to us and we still keep in touch to this day, despite the now 15 hour time difference.
Regardless of omens and signs, with all of the news lately about the multiple bushfires, heatwaves and evacuations, the country and our friends are in our thoughts a lot.
We used to live in Brisbane and experienced the Queensland floods in 2011.
I did time with the disaster recovery centre when I worked with Qld Gov and was in awe of their resilience and camaraderie as a nation.
Australia is a country well used to extreme weather events but this is next level. There are rural communities doing things on their own without funding or access to resources.
Total affected area to date is around 15 million acres. 500 million animals. With Eastern cities and towns experiencing hazardous air quality.
If you haven’t seen the latest bushfire updates, Canada, U.S. and New Zealand have sent and are sending firefighters to Australia to help on the ground.
But there are also other ways you can help if you’re able to:
BBC, New York Times and CNN have dedicated coverage, read up and spread the word via social media
Donate to organizations helping victims and evacuees of the fires (Salvation Army, Australian Red Cross, NSW Rural Fire Service)
GIVIT – Goods For Good Causes Givit.org.au is another Australian registered charitable organization that was used a lot in 2011 to help disperse items in need to communities during the floods. You can donate items or money directly online, 100% of the proceeds go to the purchase of items required.
Following my intuition around the world and creating new adventures and experiences
Everywhere you look, people are setting goals, resolutions, making observations, sharing reflections, accepting or actively working to change what their future may look like.
Some big constants for me over the past decade have been:
Trusting my gut (following my intuition)
Making big leaps (or as I like to say…fucking my fears)
Writing (sometimes sparingly, other times often)
Learning new things (growth is always good)
Testing my ideas (if you keep them to yourself…nothing happens)
Changing what’s not working for me (boundaries, mindset, habits, lifestyle)
Creating a new reality (sometimes very different from the current one)
That last one is a doozy, some of you may be like, “Amy, how can you create a new reality. Your reality is what it is…you don’t create it.”
Au contraire.
I believe you can visualize what you want (even if it is waaaaaay out there and seemingly impossible), decide to do something about it and take action in the direction of what you want.
It doesn’t always 100 per cent manifest (show up) in the exact way you envisioned because oftentimes it is waaaaaay better than you could have ever imagined!!!
Camden, London
Key learnings from the past decade
Life, love, health, relationships, career, education, intuition, travel. Different countries, cities, home/work setups, no kids/with kids.
They can be distilled as follows and are applicable to you regardless of your location or life stage. The best thing? They are all within your control and you can start today.
My life has been made exponentially better by:
Refusing to give my power away (time, body, energy, mindset, money)
Believing in yourself and taking ownership over all things in your life seem small but have huge results. Thoughts really do become things. Be kind to yourself and take an active stance in teaching others how you would like to be treated.
Following my dreams and intuition (trusting my gut and taking action)
You will never know 100 per cent how something could turn out but if I have dreamt it, thought it or felt it, then I believe it has planted the seed for a reason. I go with it…sometimes kicking and screaming but whether I choose to follow it or not, it will come back to me in some way or another.
Writing regularly (thoughts, ideas, experiences, goals, dreams)
Getting things out of your head and onto paper–whether you choose to share them with the world or not is up to you–can provide clarity, speed up anything you’re trying to call into your life, serve as a point of reflection and is a wonderful marker of how far you’ve come.
Talking to strangers (about their lives, problems and connecting the dots)
Curiosity and child-like wonder have helped me make new friends in foreign places, get job offers, identify opportunities, solve problems, share ideas and create community. It’s magic in action.
Manhattan views on a work trip
I’ve been blogging about travel, creativity, intuition and international family life since 2010 and thought it best to show the evolution over the past decade.
Lots of ups and downs in between it all but the highlight reel is as follows:
2010 – Meet future Irish husband in Canada. Quit my job, go back to school in Australia.
2011 – Graduate with High Distinction and a LOT of student debt. Still manage to travel.
2012 – Lots of Australian immigration paperwork. Change jobs three times.
2013 – Get married in Ireland. Pay off my student debt. Leave Australia.
2014 – Move to Ireland. Irish immigration. Become a remote worker. Travel around Europe.
2015 – Move to England. UK immigration. Work trips to NY and Australia. Get pregnant.
2016 – First son born in London. Google for Startups program with baby. Canadian immigration.
2017 – Move to Canada. Buy our first home. Bring son to my job interview, get the job. Get pregnant.
2018 – Launch Babies, Business + Breakfast. Second son born in Ottawa. Bring him everywhere.
2019 – Still in Canada. Take kids to Ireland. Build BBB community. Get pregnant, have miscarriage.
2020 – More adventures, keep growing BBB and share learnings from the last decade!
Ironically, when I had kids and started having less ‘sexy’ expat travel adventures, my blog stats went up!
But it happened gradually over time, I started writing more consistently, sharing what I’ve learned and moved from idle thoughts to putting ideas into action, which in turn can help more people.
Dublin at sunrise
My first original blog (from 2010 to 2012) is now unpublished and for my eyes only.
It was a great online diary of sorts of those early days as an expat, not knowing a soul in a new country on the other side of the world…except for my now husband who I had met in Ottawa a few months prior to moving to Brisbane. Crazy, right?
Anywhooo….
I tell that story. All. The. Time.
To strangers, acquaintances and whomever tells me they love:
Love, Ireland, travel, adventures or don’t believe in magic, coincidences or serendipity.
Recent listeners have included: my local coffee shop baristas, my husband’s company founder and the woman who sold my sister her wedding dress.
They all love it because you know what? Deep down I believe, everyone wants to believe in magic, coincidences and serendipity.
But if you haven’t heard the story yet and you want to, here it is in 55 words or less: I entered a competition to win a trip to Ireland. I didn’t win the trip but I met my future husband, we ended up moving to Ireland a few years later and now I have a couple of Irish-Canadian kids and a reason to travel there any time I desire to!
Now this seems like a lucky coincidence, right?
What I didn’t include in the above was when I met him I was already booked to move to Brisbane, Australia to study for a year, which I had been planning and saving up for since 2007.
The night I met him at the Irish competition in Canada, he happened to be in the same bar. And get this: He ALSO had plans to move to Australia the same month as me!
This is manifesting serendipity folks: How you envision what you want, take action toward it and allow the magic to unfold.
Some of our Australian, English, Irish, American and Canadian friends in Brisbane. I love that at the start of 2010 these were all complete strangers to me!
You cannot make this stuff up.
What ensued over the past decade has been achieved largely because I decided what I wanted and wrote it down (in advance), took action (in the present) and allowed it to show up however it wanted (in future).
No, I didn’t specifically ask for:
An Irish husband.
To live in Australia for almost four years.
To have kids in two different countries.
Life is a mystery and this is what happens when you describe what you want:
To go to Ireland.
Study in Australia.
Live in Europe.
Things beyond your wildest imagination often come to you alongside your desires.
And I look back in delight and laugh at the way things have unfolded!
If you prefer to read a list of wild-coincidental-serendipitous things which happened because I took action to get over my fears of the unknown and create a new reality, here are a selection, which I had no idea would happen when I started off the last decade:
Started blogging to keep in touch with family…10 years later my current blog has resulted in interview opportunities, TV audition requests, an advertising campaign casting call, creating a community and business ideas being validated.
Photo by Finn Lin for CreativeMornings Ottawa
Racked up a LOT of student debt in my first year abroad, made some mindset and behaviour shifts, took some scary actions (like changing jobs, learning new skills, getting up to speed in different industries) and by 2013, had paid it all off in full, alongside saving up for our overseas wedding in Ireland.
A wedding gift from our Brisbane Hurling and Camogie Club
Learned how to play a new sport (camogie – women’s hurling) and was interviewed as part of a documentary film about the Irish in Australia. Then I became the State hurling and camogie club’s PRO, organized the first annual sports and business fundraiser and spoke often as a guest interviewee on Irish radio in Brisbane.
All with my Canadian accent!
The student internship I did at a local radio station really helped me with my on air speaking skills.
Representing our Brisbane Hurling and Camogie Club
When I was 25, living in Brisbane and working at my Gov job, I decided I wanted to live and work in Europe before I hit 30 and started a family. Within two years I had become a subject matter expert on Australian industry news in a sector I never knew existed before I left Canada.
As a result, I was able to speak at conferences, launch the industry’s first online magazine, become my company’s first remote worker and spend three years travelling around Europe living the laptop lifestyle before having our first son in London.
Presenting at a conference in Melbourne, Australia
When I did become a parent at age 30, I kept doing what I loved alongside my kids and brought them into business settings. When I was eight months pregnant with our second son, I launched a community focused on parent-friendly professional development and became known as an advocate for flexible work.
Ironically, six years prior I excelled in Social Marketing (using marketing in order to positively change people’s behaviour) while studying in Australia but didn’t really see how I could make it into a career choice unless I became a professor.
But it is exactly what Babies, Business + Breakfast™ is all about: creating more inclusive access and opportunities for parents and their families.
Press coverage of the startup program in London, England
Was told by intuitive readers in Australia (2011) and Canada (2019) to connect more with my spiritual side and decided to actively make it into a regular practice through learning how to read tarot, numerology and astrology.
As soon as I decided to learn more, I was gifted a tarot deck by a stranger through a relative in Ireland, discovered a local Canadian shop I could perform readings at and started offering services to clients within six months.
Many people tell me my insights are uncanny–perhaps as a result of me spending so much time talking to strangers–and with limited advertising, I have now performed dozens of readings. It has all felt so effortless and enjoyable, so I’m seeing where it leads.
Offering intuitive readings at a local shop in 2019
The past decade has been full of people, experiences, places, learnings and adventures I could not have anticipated in 2010.
I am constantly awestruck by life’s coincidences and unpredictable moments.
I don’t always connect the dots or make the right decision. But I am never bored and usually pleasantly surprised!
You can be actively seeking to create a new reality through visualization, goal-setting, manifesting or journaling.
You can be open to changing plans, making different choices, going with the flow, trusting in things to work out for the better and surrendering completely.
You can focus on living in the moment, being present, having fun, seeking joy and connecting with your inner child to create and play more.
You can be uncertain of how the future will unfold but still hold space for the kind of future you want to design, however unlikely it may appear in the present moment.
You can be completely content with your current reality, grateful for your blessings and not want to change a thing in the moment.
All of the above are good ways to create a new reality for yourself because as the quotes from Heraclitus go:
“Change alone is unchanging.” “There is nothing permanent except change.”
Explore more in your own time with these Notes From Another Land blog posts over the past decade:
Thank you for reading, Happy New Year and best wishes for a wonderful 12 months ahead!
– Amy
P.S. Is there anything you’re hoping to manifest over the next year or decade?
Write it down, speak it aloud, share it with me if you wish! I am cheering you on. ✨
The presents have been opened, it looks like a toy explosion in our house and we are trying to keep the naps on schedule. You?
Christmas movies have been on repeat and we made some crafts that actually look like reindeer.
Then realized on the 23rd we had run out of wrapping paper.
Santa delivered on the wishes and I have never seen so many wheels indoors.
I am also refusing to open the gift with 100+ magnetic pieces until next week and plan to hide half the toys in the basement so the novelty doesn’t wear off.
An attempt to create a family tradition of a St. Stephen’s / Boxing Day family walk was a bit of a fail as the ice rain had other plans.
Then we had a lovely coffee and play date with another Babies, Business + Breakfast community member and are getting ready to enjoy the rest of the weekend at home.
All in all, it’s been a pretty magical Christmas!
But I know it is not always so. It can be challenging, stressful, overwhelming, underwhelming, full of expectations and hard to process.
Sometimes your ‘family’ isn’t related to you. Sometimes they are and you wish they weren’t!
Whatever the situation, it’s always good to create your own traditions and memories with those who fill your cup and make you feel good.
However you’re spending the holidays, I hope you’re enjoying some restful time.
Please know I am always sending you positive vibes, a virtual cup of coffee and parenthood solidarity.
And on that note, I am cooking up future meetups to keep growing this wonderful community of parents and their families.
Babies, Business + Breakfast now has a more permanent home I’m excited to share Babies, Business + Breakfast has been selected as one of the Cours Bayview Yards Meetups in 2020!
Invest in yourself alongside your loved ones at these parent-friendly professional development events, complete with a children’s play area.
Whether you are setting out to build a startup, launch a small business, remote work, freelance or seeking a career change, learn from guest speakers whom have built and/or worked in successful companies – all while raising their families.
Mark these future dates for upcoming Babies, Business + Breakfast events in the first quarter of 2020: • Friday, February 14th • Tuesday, March 31st
To keep it simple, all events will be scheduled between 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. (EST).
Visiting one of my first Babies, Business + Breakfast supporters at her new Café Sucré: Art, Bistro and Café!
This is not a sponsored post, it’s a mini story about serendipity, manifesting, community and supporting small business.
Sara Anne and her daughter Nova have been corresponding with me since I met her at a CreativeMornings Ottawa event in August 2018.
We were the only two at the morning talk series with babies and when I pitched her my idea of parent-friendly professional development, we immediately hit it off! Turns out she is an artist and entrepreneur and was looking to open her own café.
Her and her daughter were also amongst the first few (three and their babes) to attend my Babies, Business + Breakfast focus group at Dovercourt that Fall…which I hosted alongside my three-month-old.
She talked about her family life and business plan for the stay and play art café in Casselman.
Then six months later, they also supported us by attending our first ‘official’ Babies, Business + Breakfast Pop-Up event Algonquin College’s DARE District, where over a dozen parents and their kiddos rocked up to network and listen to three amazing panelists who are also business owners and parents.
This meant a lot to me, as her early support and belief in my ideas encouraged me to keep going and lo and behold, prove there ARE actually other people out there like us who are also parents and want to do what they love alongside their kids.
She also regularly responds to the newsletters I send out, even when I think no one will read them! 😂
Congratulations Sara Anne, I am sooo happy for you and your family!
It is such a lovely and thoughtful space, the first of its’ kind to remind me of my favourite European stay and play café featuring local artists and makers, alongside homemade food in a setting that makes you feel like you’re in an actual home.
If you’re in Ottawa or Montreal, the village of Cassleman is between the two and makes a mean from scratch BLT using Art Is In Bakery bread and Fromagerie St Albert cheese curds. Not to mention yummy homemade desserts, cakes and gingerbread cookies!
Thank you for having us, we will be back.
Worried about attending business events with kids?
I recently experienced the loss of our third child when I had a miscarriage and spent the last month #cancellingplans.
I’ve written about all of the above in two recent blog posts, you can read them in detail at the above links if you wish.
If you’re looking for a summary: it has been a challenging year.
BUT some of the great news I would like to share with you and the reason I am writing this newsletter at the moment are:
I have realized I am surrounded by a great network, community and have had many lovely and welcome offers of support;
my drive to shed light on things we experience as parents–and particularly as women–which can make us feel isolated, has been fired up even more as I have realized discussion, creating safe spaces and fostering an inclusive community can all provide support; and
I am starting to dream up different ways of doing things in 2020.
Which leads me to a special announcement: Babies, Business + Breakfast will have a new home and more regular events!
Earlier this Fall, the team at Bayview Yards approached me to host our group as one of the regular ‘Bayview Meetups’ which means:
we will be able to host more attendees in a central and accessible space with baby change facilities;
on street parking is free for two hours, public transit options include the nearby Bayview LRT/O-Train Station and bus links;
you will get to visit a space which you may normally not enter with your kid(s) and meet other like-minded parents doing the same;
it will be even easier for me to connect you with the wonderful folks at Bayview Yards and Invest Ottawa who support businesses, entrepreneurs and startups in our city; and
events will be lower cost for me to host and hopefully we will be able to welcome even more parents who want to pursue professional development alongside their loved ones!
Can you tell I am a little bit excited!?!
To get involved, please join the email list at this link or by clicking on the image below!I am confirming dates for the first event at Bayview Yards and once that is set, I will be emailing you again with details.
In the meantime, here are a few FREE professional development events around Ottawa I am trying to attend – in between Christmas parties and visits with Santa of course – if you are able and willing to join me:
We have a Brigid’s Cross/Brigit’s Cross/Crois Bhride woven from rushes made by my husband’s relatives in Galway, which we have brought with us over the years from our homes in Naas, Ireland to London, England and now Ottawa, Canada. It’s also meant to ward off evil spirits.
My great-grandmother’s name was Bridget and I was meant to be named after her…but I guess the name didn’t quite stick with me as a baby!
However, I find it interesting (and serendipitous) I ended up marrying an Irishman and living for a year-and-a-half in Naas, Co. Kildare, which is the original home of Saint Brigid…they even have the woven cross as part of their County crest.
While it’s the beginning of spring in Ireland, it’s still mid-winter here in Canada.
If you’re not into seasonal living, celebrating occasions or the idea of serendipity that’s cool…but I think you should keep reading as I talk about other topics below.
Many people in the audience were also newcomers to Canada–as my husband and son were a few years ago when we relocated from Europe–and were there to learn how to communicate more clearly in order to articulate the vision they have for their business ideas. Many did not speak English as their first language and were also using the session to practice public speaking.
I felt my privilege as a Canadian Citizen by birth and English as a first language speaker, as I sat in that workshop. The presenter had just received his Canadian Citizenship three months ago, after having lived here for the past decade.
My husband does not have the ability to vote here (yet) and he must travel to and from the country with his Permanent Residency card at all times. However, for the most part we have felt the transition into life here has been straightforward as he also speaks English as a first language and had previously lived, worked and travelled in Canada before me met.
But little things do remind us we’re a bit different: Having to provide details of when we arrived in Canada in order to register our son for school. Owning different types of birth certificates and medical records for our children. Maintaining multiple passports. Keeping up on news in different countries where we still have ties.
I am fortunate to have been able to move back to Canada and bring my family with me (for a fee and after completing the required immigration applications and screening requirements). Not because we had to or were forced to but because we decided to.
When we arrived, we were greeted matter-of-factly by the customs officers as we detailed our family plans (including a new baby!) and our belongings accompanying us but we did not feel like we weren’t welcome. We were nervous. Apprehensive. Hopeful we had remembered to complete everything properly.
It is easy to forget how it felt to wait for our immigration application to be assessed and approved over a period of months while we were living overseas. The alternate scenarios we had discussed in the event the application were to be rejected.
Last week, I attended the latest
Using my experiences, storytelling and intuition to help others with self-reflection more regularly. 
2019 has been full of ups and downs for me but my biggest lesson so far?
Notes From Another Land 